When one practices the various driving or chipping strokes in the game of golf which elevate the golf ball so that it can travel a fairly long distance, one must generally attend a specialised driving range or similar facility. Such facilities may require some travel time, expense and inconvenience to attend and may not be readily available to all golfers. Due to the danger from the impact of such a driven ball the avid golfer is prohibited from practising at home in a residential back yard.
The desire on the part of players of sports such as golf, baseball, hockey or soccer to improve their ability and thereby increase their enjoyment of their game requires considerable ‘full-swing’ practice. The inflatable sport ball arresting structure according to the present invention permits such practice to be undertaken at home in a carport or garage or in a residential backyard with convenience and safety. It is an object to provide such a device which is lightweight, compact for home storage and easily assembled, and further which is simple to erect, readily storable without disassembly, and resistant to displacement through sport ball impact or wind gust. Further yet, the device may inhibit ricochet of the sport ball.
In the prior art, applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,390 which issued Jan. 28, 2003 to Kim for a Sports Ball Net Assembly, which discloses a net supporting structure comprising rigid and flexible pipes.
Applicant is further aware of U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,894 which issued Oct. 24, 2000 to Cho for a Collapsible Golf Net, which discloses a flexible, closed loop shaped net support structure which is supported on stakes positioned in the ground. Additional straps are used to deform the net support structure into a concave shape and to lend stability.
It is one of several objects of the present invention to provide that which is missing in the prior art; namely, a sport ball arresting structure having an inflatable frame and a flexible base to provide a lightweight frame and permitting ease of assembly, deployment and storage after use.